A Hausa song from northern Nigeria. The singer is longing for a child. It is from an anthropological record of the Hausa people, partly compiled from an oral account given by Baba (1877–1951), the daughter of a Hausa farmer and Koranic teacher, and translated by May K. Smith.
May Allah give me a true friend whether he’s small or big,
Even an infant sucking at the breast, or one lying in the womb;
When he comes forth we’ll be friends.
Allah, give me a true friend, whether he’s big or small.
from Baba of Karo (1954),
May K. Smith
